The Delhi High Court on Tuesday bid farewell to justice CD Singh, who has been transferred back to the Allahabad High Court, his parent high court.
Speaking at the farewell, Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) president and senior advocate N Hariharan said that justice Singh’s departure came at a time when the judiciary was facing scrutiny in the wake of allegations against justice Yashwant Varma following the purported discovery of cash at the latter’s residence.
Terming the current times as “trying”, Hariharan said that the reduction in the Delhi high court’s strength, due to justice Singh’s transfer, and a major reshuffle in the high court following the transfer of two other judges, called for a “deep introspection”. To be sure, the Centre earlier during the day approved the transfer of justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma to the Calcutta High Court, recommended by the Supreme Court collegium on Thursday.
He said that there was a need for the bar and the bench to work together for protecting the integrity, reputation and public faith in the judiciary and legal profession.
“Justice Singh, your departure comes at what can only be described as trying times for our institution. With your transfer back to Allahabad High Court, and the proposed transfer of two other judges, our court faces not merely a reduction in numerical strength but a moment that calls for a deep introspection. We find ourselves in an era where there is perceptible erosion of public faith in the legal system. The judiciary once viewed with unquestioning reverence, now faces scrutiny, scepticism, and sometimes outright cynicism from the very public it seeks to serve,” Hariharan said.
Justice Singh, in his farewell address, reflected on the art of judging, stating that while judges must remain true to the law, they must also balance empathy and wisdom.
“One guiding star for me has been the very fact that judges must remain true to the law and get sensitive to the lives affected by law. Impartiality has been our cardinal virtue to decide each case on its merit. At the same time, judging is not a mechanical task, and it demands empathy and wisdom. Indeed, a judge must sometimes harden his heart to do justice but must never become indifferent. Balancing head and heart are the art of judging.”
Justice Singh’s long pending transfer, which was recommended by the collegium in November 2024, was approved by the Centre on March 28. He was originally appointed as a judge of the Allahabad high court in September 2017, justice Singh was moved to the Delhi high court in October 2021.
